Officials say 538 manatees were found dead in state waters throughout 2017, the third highest number on record.
An annual mortality summary from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission break down the whereabouts of each reported death, along with a cause.
Officials said that with the growing population of Florida manatees, an increase in the number of manatee deaths is not unexpected.
“There’s definitely a growing number of manatees,” said Debbie Wingfield, manatee protection program manager for Volusia County Environmental Management, to the Panama City News Herald. “With that, you are going to have more deaths for all types of reasons, whether you’re talking cold stress, boat-related or natural causes.”
The 538 manatees found dead in Florida waterways was also the most since 2013.
Officials say Floridians who remain concerned about manatees should consider buying manatee license plates. Proceeds from the sale of those state license tags continue to support manatee research and conservation across the state.